Sort & filter data
Change the order of a list or focus on a subset without breaking your records.
By the end, you’ll be able to:
- Sort complete records together
- Apply category and numeric filters
- Explain what happens to hidden rows and totals
Sort changes order. Filter changes visibility.
Sorting rearranges records, for example from largest sale to smallest. Filtering shows records that meet a condition and hides the rest. A filtered-out record has not been deleted.
In this order list, sorting by Sales descending puts A103 first because its sales are 200. Filtering Region to East instead shows A101, A103 and A105. You can apply both actions: show East, then sort those orders by Sales.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Order | Region | Category | Sales |
| 2 | A101 | East | Stationery | 120 |
| 3 | A102 | West | Home | 80 |
| 4 | A103 | East | Home | 200 |
| 5 | A104 | West | Stationery | 150 |
| 6 | A105 | East | Stationery | 60 |
Always keep each record together
- Select a cell inside the dataset. Check that the list is one continuous rectangle with a heading row.
- Open the Data tab and choose Sort.
- Confirm the data has headers and select the field to sort, such as Sales.
- Choose Largest to Smallest and inspect the first few complete records.
If Excel asks whether to expand the selection, include all columns belonging to the records. Sorting only the Sales cells can pair a customer or order ID with someone else’s value. Undo immediately if fields become misaligned.
Store numbers as numbers. A numeric value stored as text may sort differently from the surrounding numeric data. For a multi-level sort, define the primary field first, then the tie-breaker, such as Region followed by Sales.
Worked example: East orders worth at least 100
- Select the list and enable Data → Filter.
- Open Region’s filter menu and select East.
- Open Sales → Number Filters → Greater Than or Equal To and enter 100.
- Sort Sales from largest to smallest.
The result is A103 (200), then A101 (120). The two column filters act together: a record must match East and have sales of at least 100. Clearing one column’s filter leaves the other filter active.
Controls differ slightly between desktop and web versions. The browser practice below uses a compact version of these operations and shows the resulting records immediately.
Give it a try.
Work through each exercise, check your answer and use a hint whenever you need one. Formula tasks check changed inputs, including boundary cases.
0 of 4 exercises complete
Take this with you
Sort whole records. Combine filters deliberately, and check whether totals include all rows or visible rows.
Practice in Excel
Download the course workbook, follow the tasks, save your completed .xlsx and check its supported formula tasks here. Native Excel features use a separate review checklist.
Download practice workbook Check my workbook ↗Technical references and lesson review
Original lesson content. Technical behavior checked against Microsoft documentation. Technical review: 2026-10-16. Page updated: 2026-10-19. How SheetSprout develops and checks lessons.